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AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, technology briefs

Jan 28, 2013 (AME Info - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
SECURITY EXPERTS SAY FACEBOOK'S GRAPH SEARCH THREATENS USERS' PRIVACY: Security experts have warned users of Facebook's new Graph Search to raise their privacy settings in order to avoid embarrassment or become victims of cybercriminals, PC World has reported. "Some of the searches that you can run are pretty shocking, what better way to demonstrate the personal risks of using Facebook " said Rick Holland, a senior analyst for security and risk management at Forrester Research, adding that companies should include Graph Search in security awareness campaigns. "Tie Facebook and protecting your family's privacy into a broader training session that also covers spear phishing/social engineering. Win for the employee and win for the company," he said.

GLOBAL Q4 TABLETS SALES UP 119 percent: According to data by research firm Futuresource Consulting, 64 million tablets had been sold globally in the fourth quarter of 2012, a nearly 100 percent upswing quarter-to-quarter, and a year-on-year growth of 119 percent. Apple remained the market leader in the tablet space, as it experienced high-demand for the iPad mini, the report said. "The Q4 period accounted for nearly half of all tablet sales last year, culminating in total sales of 136 million units for 2012," said Arun Gill, market analyst at Futuresource Consulting. "This clearly demonstrates the impact that tablet devices are having on consumers' spending habits and lifestyle choices, as the category continues to push through the roof."
MICROSOFT WINDOWS SALES CLIMB TO $5.9BN: Microsoft Corp has reported a drop in its quarterly profits, as Office software sales slowed ahead of a new launch, offsetting a solid but unspectacular start for its Windows 8 operating system, Reuters has reported. Net income slid to $6.4bn in the fiscal second quarter, from $6.6bn in the year-ago quarter. Overall sales rose 3 percent to $21.5bn, Microsoft said. Office revenue fell about 10 percent to $5.7bn, while Windows sales, which included some deferred revenue from the launch of Windows 8 last October, jumped 24 percent to $5.9bn, the company said.

US WARNS OF 'IMMINENT CYBER 9/11': Janet Napolitano, secretary of the US Homeland Security has warned that a major cyber-attack is a looming threat and could have the same sort of impact as last year's Superstorm Sandy, which knocked out electricity in a large swathe of the Northeast, Reuters has reported. Napolitano said a "cyber 9/11" could happen "imminently" and that critical infrastructure, including water, electricity and gas, was very vulnerable to such a strike. "We shouldn't wait until there is a 9/11 in the cyber world. There are things we can and should be doing right now that, if not prevent, would mitigate the extent of damage," said Napolitano.